Green Homes

As homes shrink, developers are ensuring that green spaces within apartment complexes give the home owners a place to relax and rejuvenate within the comfort of their homes.

A key driver in home design is landscaping and keeping the original trees intact. This has the dual advantage of not just ensuring the ecological balance stays but also gives home buyers an open space within the residential complex. With increased focus on health and well being coupled with lack of time and the dearth of green spaces in urban areas, home buyers are increasingly looking for properties that provide natural surroundings. Consequently, real estate companies are also striving to meet this demand, by providing amenities like parks, cycling tracks, jogging tracks, yoga zone, children’s play area, vertical gardens, water bodies, etc. Home owners in cities, who are constrained for space are also seeking innovative ways to add natural elements to their homes.

Provident Harmony

Go Green

Going by the currents trends that are being followed in the industry, green and open spaces seem to be the focal point of the developers during the planning phase of any project. These amenities play a crucial role in the purchase decisions of the home-buyers, as open spaces are quite the rarity in urban India and are now being deemed a luxury. “In India specifically, we see many projects that have terrace gardens, green lawns, swimming pools, amphitheaters, botanical gardens, ponds and fountains, outdoor gyms and various other spaces for sporting activities. In fact, several of Puravankara’s projects are characterised with these unique spaces. For example, Purva Palm Beach, located on Hennur Road, is enhanced with a man-made beach lagoon with actual beach sand, replicating the sights and sounds of the sea within the cosmopolitan city of Bangalore. A close alternative for busy working professionals who still nurture the hope of taking short vacations at getaways by the sea,” says Ashish R. Puravankara, Managing Director, Puravankara Limited. Mayank Ruia, Chief Executive Officer, MAIA Estates LLP avers, “at MAIA Pelican Grove, we have a great emphasis given to our wooded and landscaped areas, and have provided 90%+ open and usable landscape to our clients. By providing a rich and diverse flora and fauna over a landscape that is designed with mounds and dents, the amenities are enhanced further to which create a true sense of engagement between the resident and the greenery.” The project has a Forest Yoga Pavilion, an Observatory that faces the islands which are home to pelicans, organic Grove, outdoor Cross Training, Jogging Track and more.

Purva Seasons

Environment Matters

The growing awareness among individuals about the environment has pushed the demand for projects which promises the added amenities of open space, parks, water bodies, dedicated jogging pathway, in addition to a high quality home. Venkat Chalasani, CEO, Samskruti Builders a company that works exclusively on green homes explains, “integrating plants in and around living spaces reduces stress, improves cognitive function and creativity, improves well-being and expedite healing. This a low cost solution to improve your environment – visual, auditory, smell, thermal comfort, airflow, diffused lighting. Knowing the advantages, you do not want to live without them at any cost. If you grow your own food, you get fresh, low carbon, nutritional, non-chemical food and ultimate satisfaction.” Chalasani adds, “going green need not be an expensive affair. One can try start with low budget ideas too. For example install a mosquito mesh everywhere including bathrooms vents. This enables natural ventilation and avoids mosquito repellents or chemical sprays. Avoid artificial air-freshness instead try indoor plants that will improve air quality and buy a daily dump compost bin to compost all your wet waste.”

Provident Sunworth

Client Speak

In today’s busy lifestyle, the need of having an exclusive space to relax and de-stress is vital for maintaining a healthy mind and body. Time being one of the most important commodities for the urban home buyer, and if the home itself offers amenities which are open and green, the travel time to access such spaces are cut down. “Green spaces and the likes are amenities which come as a part of all our residential projects. Today discerning customers will seek these amenities and expect these as a direct result for buying a quality home from a renowned brand. Large players like us are able to achieve scale of economies due to our footprint, but the price tag may become secondary as green open spaces become increasingly inaccessible. Home buyers understand the associated costs and some cost- benefit due diligence will indicate that the expenses incurred for these unique amenities will pay for themselves in the long run,” says Puravankara. Customers are a lot more willing to move out of independent houses to obtain a green buffer between them and their neighbours, which is now increasingly difficult to find with the rapid development seen in Bangalore’s real estate. “Providing larger green areas most definitely come at a cost, as it forces developers to build vertically to provide for more expansive landscaped areas. Given that Bangalore has always been synonymous with being the garden city, we find that customers are willing to pay the price to reclaim this environment for their future homes,” opines Ruia. Green homes are certainly the way forward and making the most of them is in your hands.

Tips for a green home

Use eco-friendly building materials and wherever possible choose local options. This way you will reduce the carbon footprint as well.

Pre cast technology is a great choice – it saves time and is ecologically sensitive too.